Polls: Bush Remains Fairly Popular

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Doubts are growing about President Bush's handling of the economy and Iraq, though Americans support his campaign against terror and he remains personally popular, polls suggest.

The public's bond with the president, forged after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, offers him opportunities to bolster his standing in the polls during Tuesday's State of the Union address, pollsters say.

"The president has an opportunity to do two things that are necessary for the well-being of his administration," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

"One is to make the case on Iraq _ where he needs help because support levels are slipping," he said. "It also would be good for him to improve confidence in the American public about the future direction of the economy and his stewardship of the economy."

Bush's job approval was at 59 percent in a CBS-New York Times poll, 58 percent in the Pew poll and 54 percent in a new NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, all released Thursday. Several other polls have shown Bush's approval rating in the 50s, still relatively healthy but down from the 90 percent levels it reached after Sept. 11.

The president has almost unanimous support among Republicans, about nine in 10 in the Pew poll.

Bush's approval rating contrasts with growing fears about the economy, said Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll.

"His average approval last year was in the 70s," Newport said. "Looking at these ratings, it is a drop, but look at the average ratings for presidents," which are in the mid-50s.

Newport said Bush could be seen as facing difficulty if his approval rating drops to 29 percent, like his father's did at the low point in the summer of 1992.

The public has grown increasingly skeptical about Bush's handling of the economy, with 44 percent approving of his economic stewardship and 49 percent disapproving in the NBC-WSJ poll. In the Pew poll, people were evenly split on his handling of the economy with 47 percent approving and 45 percent disapproving.

Only a third in the NBC-WSJ poll, 35 percent, say they expect Bush's $674 billion, 10-year stimulus plan _ most of that committed to tax cuts _ will be very effective or "fairly effective" at helping the economy. An additional 40 percent said it could be "somewhat effective."

Four in 10, 43 percent, in the CBS-NYT poll said the economy is in good shape, and more than half, 55 percent, said bad shape. More than half in that poll, 56 percent, said Congress should focus on the economy, followed by 22 percent who said the focus should be on the war on terrorism and 19 percent who said Iraq.

Four in 10 in the Pew poll said it is more important for Bush to focus on the war on terrorism, while 38 percent said the economy.

By a 2-1 margin in the Pew poll, people said the president should be doing more to help the economy

They were divided on whether they preferred Bush's economic stimulus approach, 37 percent, or the Democrats', 42 percent. Democrats want immediate help focused more on lower and middle income people, and their plans include more federal aid for the states.

Bush's standing on foreign policy has dropped as well, with about half, 51 percent, approving of his efforts in the NBC-WSJ poll.

The president still has a commanding lead over potential Democratic rivals in head-to-head matchups, though that lead has been reduced.

The NBC-WSJ poll of 1,025 adults was taken Jan. 19-21 while the Pew poll of 1,218 adults was taken Jan. 8-12. Both had error margins of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The CBS-NYT poll of 814 adults was taken Jan. 19-21 and had an error margin of plus or minus 4 percentage points.